Principal Engineer, Fly-By-Wire

Executive Recruiting Group • San Luis Obispo, CA

6d

About The Position

The Principal Engineer, Fly-By-Wire, supports flight performance and safety by contributing to research and development of the Vehicle Management System (VMS), including critical electronics such as the VMS computer and its aircraft subsystems. The role is responsible for system development, integration, and verification, and serves as a technical focal point for issue resolution, supplier coordination, and cross-functional alignment. The engineer guides other engineers, drives technical decisions, communicates status and risks to leadership, and supports design and certification reviews.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering, or a related area.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in Vehicle Management System and/or Fly-By-Wire Systems development, physical/control architecture design, and testing in military, commercial, or business aircraft development programs.
• 10+ years of experience in Vehicle Management System and/or Fly-By-Wire System integration, flight control computers, electric motors/inverters, electromechanical actuation, and associated technologies, including managing system suppliers as the technical point of contact.
• Experience integrating control laws, monitors, and redundancy management.
• Familiarity with FAA and EASA certification processes.
• In-depth, current knowledge of Part 23/25/27 and/or 29 regulatory requirements, including system development per ARP4754A and ARP4761.
• Experience with all phases of aircraft development from concept to certification and entry into service.
• Experience with system or equipment hardware and software development per ARP-4754A, DO-254, and DO-178C.
• Familiarity with Model Based Design and DO-331.
• Experience qualifying equipment per DO-160G and other MIL standards.

Responsibilities

• Own VMS/Fly-by-Wire system architecture, functional decomposition, requirements allocation, and interface control document development for prototype and type-certification aircraft.
• Define and manage VMS interfaces with sensors, actuators, avionics, propulsion, PSS/FCPS, and other aircraft systems, coordinating with cross-functional teams and suppliers.
• Develop and mature safety-critical FBW system and software logic, including state management, redundancy management, synchronization, health monitoring, and reversionary modes.
• Develop model-based software requirements and models aligned with DO-178C/DO-331, and support software/hardware integration through closed-loop VMSC operation.
• Plan and support verification and validation activities from requirements through certification, including SIL, HIL, PIL, laboratory, ground, and flight testing.
• Develop test procedures, pass/fail criteria, and data analysis to verify safety-critical functions, failure management, timing, and robustness.
• Support safety assessments and certification activities, including FHA/PSSA/SSA, FTA/FMEA, compliance documentation, SOI readiness, and design reviews.
• Serve as the onsite technical focal point for issue resolution, dependency management, supplier coordination, and schedule and risk alignment.
• Guide engineers and drive technical decisions; communicate status and risks to leadership; support IDR/PDR/CDR and certification review readiness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal